Shohei Ohtani makes his third appearance on Dodgers Nation’s Top 10 Highlights of 2025 at No. 7, and for good reason.
The Dodgers gave Ohtani a $700 million contract ahead of the 2024 season, and it immediately proved to be a worthy investment as the Dodgers won the World Series that same season. In 2025, though, Ohtani took his game to a new level by making return to the mound as a pitcher.
Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in the 2023 season, and didn’t throw a pitch for the Dodgers in 2024. After a long recovery, Ohtani made his first pitching appearance in two seasons against the San Diego Padres on June 16.
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He pitched just one inning against the Padres, allowing a run and two hits on 30 pitches, but the Dodgers still managed to win the game with Ohtani producing a 2-for-4 performance with two RBIs to help them on their way.
The Dodgers’ unicorn made 13 more pitching appearances throughout the remainder of the regular season, and worked his way up to pitching six innings towards the end of the season.
His best performance came against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his final start of the regular season, where he hurled six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. He pitched a total of 47 innings and had a 2.87 ERA — the second best total he’s had in a pitching season throughout his career.
Ohtani also made the first postseason pitching appearances of his career, making four starts and pitching 20.1 innings. He posted a 4.43 ERA during October and struck out 28 batters in LA’s World Series campaign.
The 31-year-old’s return to the mound played a big part in earning him a third consecutive MVP award, and his strong performances are a great sign of things to come for the Dodgers.
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LA will hope Ohtani can continue to string dominant pitching performances together in 2026, when they begin their hunt for a three-peat.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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